The show "You can't! You can't!" by the National Theatre D. Maria II premieres in Lagos

“You can’t! You can’t!”, a show directed by Catarina Requeijo and written by Inês Fonseca Santos and Maria João Cruz, premieres in Lagos this May.

Aimed at children over three years old, the show will be presented in the municipality's kindergartens, from May 26th to June 6th, and at the Lagos Cultural Center, in two sessions for families, on May 31st, Saturday, at 11 am and 3:30 pm.

In “You Can’t! You Can’t!”, two guard dogs spend the day patrolling a yard, from one wall to the other, tails pointed and noses in the air.

«There are very important rules to follow there. That's the only way to ensure that no intruders show up. But then... what's a stray cat doing at the gate? It can only be an attack! Cats are dangerous, who knows what they bring in from outside. Unless they find out what's beyond the yard... You can't! You can't! », according to the synopsis.

The show has two distinct casts, made up of performers from Lagos and Ponte de Lima.

After its premiere in Ponte de Lima at the beginning of May, “You can’t! You can’t!” now arrives in Lagos, starring Berna Huidobro, Guilherme Félix and Inês Cardoso.

All show sessions are relaxed sessions, that is, they take place in an adapted, welcoming and flexible environment.

“You can’t! You can’t!” is part of the “Boca Aberta” project, by Teatro Nacional D. Maria II , designed to provide new creative experiences to children aged three and over, promote thinking and train education and culture professionals who work with these age groups.

Throughout 2025, the artistic communities of Lagos, Ourém and Ponte de Lima were invited to participate in the creation of two new theatre shows, to be presented in the project's partner municipalities: "Can we fit in one more?", which premiered in April in Ourém, and "Não se pode! Não se pode!".

In addition to shows, «Boca Aberta» also brings to the three partner municipalities of the project the «Oficina Boca Aberta», a workshop for kindergarten teachers, teachers and educational assistants, which aims to challenge the creativity of participants and enrich their work through the performing arts.

The “Open-mouth Conversations” are also scheduled, which will take place in the last quarter of the year and consist of a series of meetings that aim to think about and enhance relations between cultural and educational institutions, through the sharing of experiences, practices and knowledge.

«Boca Aberta» is an initiative of the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II and the “la Caixa” Foundation , in collaboration with BPI, and in partnership with the National Arts Plan and the municipalities of Lagos, Ourém and Ponte de Lima.

More information about the «Boca Aberta» project can be found here , and more details about the show are available here .

Photos: João Versos Roldão.